Don’t the trads have drum brakes at the rear?
Yes - and all that's needed. ARP4 was the only road car exception.
Well I’d certainly be looking for wheels that hide those as much as possible
Obviously I’m jesting there, as the reason I originally wanted the coloured callipers was purely for aesthetics with the black wheels. On one of my spec options the idea was to link a flash of that colour with some stitching on the inside. Very un-Morgan, I’m afraid. What’s funny though is how people go for big brake kits with multi-piston callipers for aesthetic reasons, as opposed to upgrading for performance. Floating single piston callipers are not new on some performance cars, even a premium and heavy one known as the E92 M3 if my memory serves me right (the V8 one). Granted there aren’t many and certainly not in recent years that stand out.
I dare say Morgan chose this spec due to cost, although looking at it in the garage the piston is fairly large and there isn’t much room between the calliper and the alloy in the Plus Four design. Yet there is so much more to outright braking performance and resistance to fade than how many pistons are used, and the desire for many to simplify this in the world of tuning is misplaced. The lack of symmetry in clamping force, flexing and reduced distribution of pressure of course influence braking feel, but as you know there are many factors that will influence the overall braking performance and fade resistance. Pad compound/material and friction, heat management and dissipation/cooling, swept area, front/rear balance, fluid, tyres etc, even ignoring the influence of things like weight transfer and dive/damping. On paper yes the Plus Four callipers lack headline grabbing technical specs (in comparison to my other cars they are very under spec) and are hardly anything you’d want to show off as performance car brakes in flashy colours, but subjectively in normal road use I find mine effective and measured if not a standout feature. I also found them to be better than I expected on the driving academy at Bicester, maintaining good bite and performance lap after lap at ‘well’ beyond road speeds. Maybe I got lucky as they do seem better than that hire one I had 18 months ago, although I can’t be alone as I recall some reviews have been positive about braking too. That said I’ll definitely consider future upgrades if only for the fact I want to create a Plus Four that is even more performance orientated in time. Suspension first though; very un-Morgan again. I also recognise the best way to improve braking and performance generally will be to upgrade the driver first (me!) and I’d argue that will be the same for most on here.
Objectively who knows; I’ll assume that none of us have the data from controlled test environments to understand how they compare in repeated high speed stops vs the 4-pot/drum-equipped trads or other cars. Maybe I should try and borrow a vBox and Mira proving grounds.
As a slight aside my GR Yaris went in for a service last week and I was given a normal Yaris Hybrid as a courtesy car. The difference in braking setup was so stark, with the Hybrid having such sharp and over servoed brakes that I nearly went through the windscreen just navigating the forecourt. Horrid set up.
I hope those that have issues or find the braking not to their liking do get it resolved satisfactorily. Equally I hope we can all get out soon and enjoy our Morgan’s whatever flavour we have (said from a very icy part of the UK currently).
PS, Clemens you’re more than welcome on the link to the manual, I found it surprising just how much tech detail was in that. I recalled seeing the braking details when trying to read up as much as I could when waiting for build news during the recall.
